SEABROOK ISLAND-Capt. Jack McConnell swears dolphins recognize his sailboat. In 12 seasons of running dolphin-watching tours to the North Edisto River, only three times have the slippery mammals failed to appear for his charters.

One of McConnell's theories is that the playful swimmers are lured by the music drifting from his boat, Palmetto Tide. "They seem to like Bob Marley and Jimmy Buffet," said McConnell, who runs Kiawah Sailing out of Bohicket Marina.

But there are no cheeseburgers in this paradise: Dolphin-feeding is a no-no. McConnell and others say the dolphins' frequent appearances can be explained in part by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Created 30 years ago Saturday, the act forbids - with certain exceptions - harassing, hunting, capturing or killing whales, dolphins or any other marine mammals. 

To mark the anniversary, environmental groups across the country, including the S.C. Coastal Conservation League, are praising the act's role in boosting populations of dolphin and other marine life.

As McConnell's boat approached Privateer Creek on a recent breezy morning, dozens of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins emerged from choppy water almost as if on cue. They surfaced in pairs and trios, as curious about the sailboat sightseers as the sightseers were of them.

The encounter, however, always ends there. Feeding, touching or swimming with dolphins in the wild is illegal, as such interaction can alter their natural behavior. Still, local stories abound of boaters and dolphins re-creating Sea World-like antics in Lowcountry waters.

"Everybody thinks of dolphins as all warm and fuzzy, but they can be aggressive," McConnell said. Bottlenose dolphins can grow up to 11 feet and 600 pounds. Their 80 to 100 teeth are razor sharp.

Dana Beach, executive director of the S.C. Coastal Conservation League, said that before the protection act, "manatee, polar bears, sea otters, several species of dolphin and nearly every species of whale had been severely depleted."

"Through the hard work and dedication of those who helped craft this ground-breaking legislation, the populations of most of these species are stable, and many have begun to recover," Beach said.

Sen. Ernest F. Hollings, R-S.C., who led efforts to pass the act in 1972, said recently he considers it among his "proudest legislative achievements."

"We put a stop to the cruel acts of commercial whaling and seal hunts, and now whales and dolphins that had been on the brink of extinction are doing well," Hollings said. "No question, this is one of our nation's most successful conservation laws ever."

In the early 1970s, an estimated 400,000 dolphins were killed each year in the eastern tropical tuna fishery, captured in nets meant for tuna. The act, coupled with the creation of the "Dolphin Safe" tuna label, lowered the number of dolphins killed each year to a few thousand, according to a 2001 report to Congress from the Marine Mammal Commission.

While the act has reduced many of the threats to marine mammals, Hollings and others said the act itself is in danger of being weakened in the upcoming session of Congress. The bill was up for review last session but became bogged down in debate over possible new exemptions for military training and commercial fishing.

Military advisers in the Bush administration argue that some environmental laws have inhibited training at military bases across the country and on the waters offshore.

Environmentalists charge that the Pentagon wants to dilute the act's definition of "harassment" so much that the National Marine Fisheries Service would find it difficult to regulate military activities that affect marine mammals.

Other concerns stem from recent efforts by Japan and other countries to overturn an international moratorium on whaling.

The Post and Courier, 12/23/03, Ron Menchaca